


What Child is This

by pancake_surprise



Series: It Takes a Village [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: BAMF Bruce Banner, F/M, Families of Choice, Family, Gen, Kid Loki (Marvel), Kid Loki (Marvel) - Freeform, M/M, Parent Bruce Banner, Parent Thor (Marvel), Protective Bruce Banner, Reincarnation, Slice of Life, Team as Family, Thor and Bruce Raise Loki, Unconventional Families
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 06:18:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15575631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pancake_surprise/pseuds/pancake_surprise
Summary: The press has been wildly speculating about who the heck the black haired boy (aka reincarnated Loki) often seen in the company of various Avengers. When they take it a step too far Bruce is ready to go on a rampage. Thor, Pepper, and Tony come up with an alternate plan and the cavalry rolls in.





	What Child is This

**Author's Note:**

> Some of these little ficlets are starting to slightly contradict each other here or there. It's nothing major so please don't mind it haha. 
> 
> In the first news clip Loki is four years old and in each one he is slightly older until, at the start of the story, he is about nine years old.
> 
> Also thank you ghostystarr for all the help!!!!

_Child of Unknown Origin with Captain America_

 

Captain America, known also as Steve Rogers, was spotted earlier today in New York’s American Museum of Natural History with a small child in tow. The child, believed to be three or four years old, bore no resemblance to Rogers having black, curly hair and a pallor complexion. The child and Rogers were seen in several areas of the museum but witnesses report the two returned several times to the spot of the iconic tyrannosaurus rex. When noticed by onlookers, Rogers hoisted the boy into his arms and left the museum, declining to answer any questions from fans. No clues on who the mystery child was, several sources speculate that the boy may be Captain America’s own, hidden from the public until now.

 

_Mystery Child Enters Dance Studio with Black Widow and Hawkeye_

_Avengers Child in Candy Store with Tony Stark_

 

_Mystery Child Spotted Again_

 

The dark-haired mystery boy seen several months ago with Captain America at the American Museum of Natural History has been spotted again, this time in the company of another Avenger, Thor Odinson. Odinson and the boy were seen playing on a playground in a town not far from the Avengers compound, just north of New York City. Witnesses reported Odinson and the boy played on the playground together for several hours. At one point, Odinson retired to the bench, where he sat among the parents and made small talk with several whilst the boy played with other children. As the afternoon came to an end the pair were seen getting into one of Tony Stark’s chauffeured cars leaving everyone to wonder, just who is this child?

 

_Mystery Child Gets Ice Cream with the Scarlet Witch_

_Unknown Avengers Child Sighted Again in Queens_

 

_Mystery Boy Reappears_

 

After many months, the boy previously seen on several occasions in the company of different Avengers has been spotted once more. This time with Bruce Banner. Oftentimes considered the most elusive Avenger, Banner is rarely seen outside of the Avengers compound. Since rejoining the Avengers several years ago, the scientist quickly moved back in with friend and colleague Tony Stark, bringing his lab and work along with him. Since then, Banner has only been spotted a handful of times in the years since Thanos’ defeat, most of them official Avengers business or, occasionally, to attend physical science conferences. But today Banner was in The Strand bookstore in New York City, mystery child in tow, as the two perused the store for several hours. As with all previous sightings of the child, Banner refused to answer any questions and the pair made their exit quite quickly after being recognized.

 

_Who is the Avengers’ Mystery Child?_

_Mystery Child Joins Ant-man Family at Go-Kart Track_

_Did the Avengers Co-Adopt a Child When No One Was Looking?_

 

_Avengers’ Child Actually the Secret Love Child of Tony Stark?_

 

The mystery child frequently seen in the company of various Avengers has been seen once more, this time boarding one of Tony Stark’s private plans along with Stark Industries CEO Pepper Potts and her husband, Tony Stark. The trio boarded the plane at JFK and then jetted off to locales unknown. Many are now speculating that perhaps this child is actually the secret love child of Tony Stark’s, born from an affair prior to his and Ms. Pott’s engagement several years ago. While Ms. Potts didn’t seem aggravated by the presence of the child, Stark’s past as a self-proclaimed playboy certainly suggests the child could be his.

 

_Round-Up of Sightings of the Avengers’ Child_

_Falcon and Captain America at Baseball Game with Avengers’ Child_

 

_Avenger’s Mystery Child Actually a Genetic or Psycho-Social Experiment?_

 

As Loki grows, they know they can't keep him locked in the compound forever and they absolutely have no intention to. But the idea of formally introducing their son to the public makes Bruce's stomach churn uncomfortably. How exactly should they introduce their son, who also happens to be the reincarnated demigod who attacked New York just over a decade earlier, to the world? All Bruce and Thor want for Loki is for him to have a chance to grow up in a safe, loving environment where he can be happy and just be a kid. It's the childhood that nearly none of them got and all of them deserved. And to let the public know, let alone government,  that he's a reincarnated world dictator will quickly destroy all of that. Bruce will be damned before he lets Loki suffer in any way through another shitty childhood.

"We can't exactly just throw it out there that, hey, by the way, the Hulk and the God of Thunder are currently raising the God of Mischief who also happened to try and take over New York that one time. People would revolt. The government would be back here trying to snoop their way into everything!" Bruce says. 

"We certainly shouldn't announce to anyone that Loki is a reincarnation outside of ourselves. We haven't even told him yet," Thor adds. 

"So what do we do?" Bruce asks. 

Thor hesitates a moment. "Perhaps," he begins. "We do nothing. Is there a Midgardian custom that says a child must be announced in some form before being seen in public?" 

"Well, no," says Bruce. "It's just Loki is going to be seen with some of the most well-known people in the world. People are bound to talk."

"So we let them. They're going to talk anyway. If we tell them nothing that's less for them to talk about." 

Bruce scratches the back of his head. "Yeah, I suppose that's a fair point. So that's it then."

"That's it indeed," Thor says. 

Bruce's stomach is still fluttering nervously at the situation and it must show on his face because Thor reaches around the table and pulls him into his arms, Bruce's back tucked into Thor's chest. 

"It will be fine, my dear," Thor says. "He's three years old and the only people he'll be going anywhere with are ourselves or another Avenger. Let them talk. He'll be safe regardless." 

Bruce turns around in Thor's arms, pressing his face into Thor's chest and squeezing around his middle. "Yes, I suppose you are right." 

 

At Thor's suggestion, they do decide to forgo any grand announcement regarding Loki. Instead, they begin taking him out in the world like he is just another kid and not the child of two of the most famous people in the world with an extended family that could rival all of Hollywood. The first few times Loki is taken off the compound, no one even seems to notice him and with each successful trip out, Bruce feels some of the tension drain from his shoulders. It isn't until Steve takes Loki to the American Museum of Natural History as a present for his fourth birthday that any media outlets pick up on his existence. And from there, it takes off with the press and the media always quick to report when Loki is seen in public and with which Avenger he is spotted with.

Nearly every week there's a new theory regarding whose child Loki actually is. And at first it's fun to see who had an affair with who and when and why the 'mystery child' was hidden away until now but after a couple of years of the headlines, Bruce would be lying if he said it didn't begin to grate him. Never once does a news outlet run a story on how the boy might be his and that stings far more than he ever will be willing to admit. But then who in their right mind would give a child to the Hulk? The world has little knowledge of how far the Hulk had come since he went on the rampage in South Africa a decade earlier. They have no way to know that Hulk is actually a gentle giant when it comes to their adopted son Loki. And so Bruce deals with it and lets the next few years of headlines roll right off his back.

But this one... this one is too far.

Bruce rereads the headline. _Avenger’s Mystery Child Actually a Genetic or Psycho-Social Experiment Avenger’s Mystery Child Actually a Genetic or Psycho-Social Experiment Avenger’s Mystery Child Actually a Genetic or Psycho-Social Experiment._

What. the. Fuck.

Bruce isn’t aware he’s moved from their apartment until he’s near the communal kitchen where most of the onsite crew is assembled for breakfast. His heart is beating out of his chest and the tablet in his hand is in a grip so tight it's at risk of shattering. He quickly scans the room for Loki despite knowing Thor already dropped him off for a day in the city with Peter and his friends but does so anyway just in case. When he’s assured himself Loki is indeed not here, there is absolutely nothing keeping him from slamming his tablet down onto the table which he does prompting screaming, "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS SHIT!" He's going green around the edges and he could not care any less. Bigger fish to fry. Things to... _People_ to smash.

All six of them snap to attention but it's Tony who gingerly sets down his ‘World’s Best Uncle’ coffee mug before taking a peek at the tablet Bruce threw down. “Bruce, what,” Tony begins as he picks up the tablet. “OH HELL NO!" he yells. 

Bruce grips the edges of the countertop until his knuckles go white. In the back of his mind, the Hulk backs off just a bit, sated partially by Tony’s own anger over the situation. As his vision becomes a little less green, Bruce recognizes for the first time who else is in the room: Thor is at his side, Wanda, Sam, and Natasha sit at the comically massive kitchen table, and Rhodes stands beside Tony. Briefly, he’s surprised to realize that none of them seem overly afraid of his outburst. But then the anger returns and he’s staring down Tony who still loosely holds the tablet in one hand.

Bruce takes a deep breath. “The speculation was harmless until now but I WILL NOT let them talk about Loki like he’s some kind of experiment. I won’t,” Bruce says and momentarily he's lost in his own head. The thought... the idea... that he... would EVER. He takes another deep breath. "I would... I would never," he spits. He's trying to continue taking deep breaths but he's unsure how successful he is. He would never... he takes another deep breath... ever, experiment on Loki. On _their_ child. Someone puts a hand on his shoulder. 

_Thor._

"Of course you wouldn't," Thor says. "Not one person here would _ever_ think you would harm him. You are his papa and he loves you." 

Around the room, everyone nods in agreement. 

Tablet in hand, Tony projects the article into the room, letting everyone see the absolute shit the press had come up for the day. About his son. Fuck no.

From the projection, Bruce catches bits of the article here and there. _Known to experiment on nearly anything including...  Previously created life in sentient hero ‘the Vision’... Four known human experiments on the team already... Creating and raising their own heroes now?_ He didn’t read it before storming the kitchen, the title was enough, and reading a bit of it now does absolutely nothing to make him feel better.

How _dare_ they? He’s seething again. Green fills his vision and the Hulk is tugging at the back of his mind.

_‘Out,’ Hulk says in the back of his mind. ‘Hulk get them. Hulk protect little one.’_

_‘No,’ Bruce says. ‘Not now.”_

Hulk grumbles but settles back to watch.

"We're gonna take care of this, Big Guy," Tony says as he shuts off the tablet. "He's not an experiment. Loki is your son." 

 

"Okay," Tony says clapping his hands once. "My beautiful wife has come up with the perfect idea for a press release that will clear up any and all confusion," he begins. "That is if you guys are still sure you want to go this route," he says looking over to where Bruce and Thor sit.

"We're sure," Thor says. He has his arm around Bruce's shoulders and Bruce is grateful for the anchor.

"I think I have a great idea for a press release," Pepper begins. “We don’t have to do it if either of you decides you are uncomfortable with it, but it’s non-invasive and quite simple," Pepper says.

“And incredibly adorable if I do say myself. They’re gonna eat this right up," Tony adds.

Pepper presses a tablet into their hands for Bruce and Thor to review. Bruce skims the outline of the plan and, to his surprise, he finds a smile breaking out across his face. Tony is right, this is going to be adorable.

Bruce looks to Thor and finds him sporting a similar grin and together they hand back the screen.  

"That will be perfect," Thor says and Bruce nods his agreement.

"Great! I'll get started right away. Clear your schedule for Friday morning," Pepper tells them before turning to Tony. "You get on the phone. We're going to need as many as possible." 

Tony mock salutes and says "yes, sir!" 

 

Pepper’s plan takes a week to pull together and Pepper insists that Bruce and Thor just sit back and let her handle the preparation. After a day of clumsily trying to help, they agree. Pepper is by far the best suited to handle this kind of situation.

Over the next few days, the compound is inundated with various Avengers and their allies arriving to lend a hand. Their grand plan is scheduled for Friday but by Tuesday, fresh faces are already arriving. Clint arrives first on Tuesday morning when he flies in from Iowa. He spends the afternoon teaching Loki tricks on the bow and the evening catching up with Wanda and Nat. 

Come Wednesday, Bruce feels like Avengers are practically coming out of the woodwork to help them. In the evening, an envoy from Wakanda arrives carrying Steve, Bucky, and Princess Shuri of Wakanda herself. 

On Thursday the last few straggle in; Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, and Scott’s daughter Cassie of the newly formed Young Avengers arrive from California. And to Bruce’s shock, a ship with Korg and Valkyrie arrives the night before their plan is set for action. They join Wanda, Natasha, James Rhodes, and Sam Wilson who were already staying at the compound full time.

Bruce and Thor spend the entire week chasing after everyone making sure to thank each and every one of them individually for their help and participation. The impromptu party Tony decides to throw Thursday evening certainly helps with that mission. Once everyone is settled with a drink in hand, Bruce and Thor make an appearance in the middle of the room. Thor has an arm around Bruce's shoulders and Bruce clears his throat and calls "uh, could we have everyone's attention?"

It takes a few seconds but then Bruce has the undivided attention of the room. "We, uh." Thor gives his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We just want to thank all of you again for being here," Bruce says. 

"We can't begin to express how much it means to either of us," Thor adds. 

"It's been a wild few years and each of you has been there nearly every step of the way, cheering us on as we stumbled and tripped through parenting for the first time. When we brought home Loki just under eight years ago, never did we imagine that everyone would not only be so accepting but so loving and helpful as well. We could never have asked for a better extended family for our son," Bruce is blinking back tears by the point but he trudges on through anyway. "Just thank you. Thank you for opening your hearts and always being nearby when needed," Bruce says. 

A single tear slides down Thor's face. "I couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you, friends, for not only accepting me but my family as well. It is a kindness I will never forget. Raising our son wouldn't be the same without all of you." 

"So a toast," Bruce says raising his glass. "A toast to all of you." 

The entire room cheers before everyone takes a sip of their drink. 

"And one more," Bruce says turning to where Pepper and Tony stand off to the side. "To Tony and Pepper for bringing us all together tonight. And for opening your hearts and inviting us into your home without a second thought when two old men showed up on your doorstep with a tiny reincarnated god of mischief in a baby carrier eight years ago," Bruce pauses. "You really are the world's best uncle." 

The entire room erupts into cheers again and Tony crosses the room quickly to pull both of them in for a hug.

"And we've been nothing but glad to have all of you," he says as he lets go of them. "Always." Tony's eyes are a little watery but he blinks it back. "You'll always be welcome here." 

Bruce smiles and he can't remember another time when his heart felt this full. 

 

Come the following morning, Pepper hands all of them a white tee-shirt and instructs them to layer it over their Sunday best or uniform, whichever they prefer. Bruce pairs his with what Tony dubbed Bruce's 'dad best': a pair of khakis and a sweater. Thor does this same with his shirt layered over another tee-shirt and a pair of worn jeans. Just as instructed, the three of them show up to the largest of the Avenger's compound meeting rooms and find that the table has been removed. Nearly every member of their extended family is packed into the room and, at the forefront, a photographer is setting up a camera. 

"Alright everybody," Pepper begins. "Let's get into position."

 

Pepper presents them with a hard copy of the photo in the afternoon. Bruce can't help the smile that covers his face as he takes in the entire frame packed with people, all of them wearing white tee-shirts over their uniforms or civvies. Along the edges James Rhodes, Korg, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes bear shirts with _‘world’s best uncle’_ in huge black block letters. Shuri, Wanda, and Hope similarly sport shirts with _‘world’s best aunt’_. Next to Hope, Scott’s reads _‘world’s best a(u)nt’_ and next to him Cassie’s says _‘world’s best cousin.’_

Closer to the center are Clint, Tony, and Steve in their _‘world’s best uncle’_ shirts alongside Pepper, Natasha, and Brunnhilde’s with their _‘world’s best aunt’_. Each of theirs sports a twist with a letter or two where possible. Like Steve has a shield for an ‘o’ and for Clint, an arrow crosses the ‘t’. Hanging upside from the ceiling is Peter in the full Iron Spider suit with a ‘world’s best spider uncle’ shirt over his uniform.

And right in the center of them all is Thor and Bruce sandwiching Loki between them. Thor and Bruce wear matching _‘world’s mightiest dad_ ’ shirts and they have Loki hoisted up between them, one of his legs sitting on each of their arms. Loki’s tee-shirt read’s _‘world’s best... son, nephew, cousin, and kid.’_

"Will it do?" Pepper asks and Bruce is pulled out of his reverie. 

"Yeah. Yeah, it will," Bruce says.

"Indeed," Thor adds. 

 

The following Monday Pepper has the press release sent out the notice to a handful of pre-selected media companies and by mid-morning, nearly every major news station in the United States is reporting on the Avenger’s child mystery finally being solved.

 

From the Office of the Avengers

For immediate release:

_Due to recent speculation, the Avengers initiative has been working with the parents of the media dubbed “Avengers' mystery child” to clear up any misconceptions regarding the child’s origins. The attached photo should clear up any and all confusion. No further questions will be answered. Any further defamation will be met with the appropriate legal actions._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me on tumblr blogging about Bruce Banner and Remus Lupin: pancake-surprise


End file.
